Bylaws

I

[A] The annual dues of the Society shall be set by a vote of the membership of the Society. If any member shall allow his or her annual dues to become two years in arrears, he or she shall be dropped from membership in the Society.

[B] A member of the Society who has retired from active service in his or her profession may become an emeritus member by notifying the Secretary of his or her desire to do so. An emeritus member may attend all meetings of the Society but will not have the privilege of voting nor be required to pay dues.

[C] A member unable to participate in the activities of the Society may request inactive status, which will not require the payment of dues. He or she may resume active membership when able even though such action may cause the number of members to exceed 100.

II

Nominations of officers shall be made by a nominating committee and may also be made by any member from the floor. A majority vote of the members present shall assure election.

III

The fiscal year shall begin at the termination of the fall meeting. Terms of office shall also begin at the same time.

IV

[A] The President shall appoint at the beginning of his or her term of office a committee of three on program, a committee of three on nominations of officers, and such other committees as the Council or Society shall authorize. One member of each committee shall serve a second year and shall be chair of the committee the second year.

V

A quorum shall consist of twenty members.

VI

[A] Any Society member with current Active status may nominate an individual to membership. A nomination should be in the form of a brief written summary of the nominee’s education and career accomplishments, with special emphasis on her or his work in the research, teaching, writing, and/or public presentation of North Carolina history. The name of at least one additional Society member as co-nominator should be included with the nomination. Nominations should be submitted to the Chair of the Nominating Committee and may be transmitted either on paper or via electronic communication. Nominations may be submitted at any time during the year, even when there are no membership vacancies.

[B] The Nominating Committee shall maintain a file of nominations received and shall review each nomination at least once in any year in which there are membership vacancies. The Nominating Committee will decide by majority vote which nominations to recommend for consideration by the full membership. The Chair of the Nominating Committee will forward its recommendations to the Secretary at least four weeks prior to a semi-annual meeting of the Society. If more nominations are on file than there are vacancies, any nomination not forwarded to the President with a recommendation for membership may be considered for three more years. At the end of the fourth year, a nomination not yet recommended by the Nominating Committee will be removed from the file and the nominating member notified of this action. If the nominating member feels the nominee has made additional contributions to the research, teaching, writing, and/or public presentation of North Carolina since the initial nomination, the member may submit a revised nomination for further consideration.

[C] The President shall present to the full membership during a semi-annual meeting the names and credentials of those nominees recommended for membership by the Nominating Committee. The members in attendance shall vote by paper ballot “yea” or “nay” on each nominee, requiring a two-thirds “yea” vote of those present.. This requirement may be superseded by a successful motion from the floor for a voice vote by acclamation for the entire slate of new nominees presented. Each new member elected shall be sent a letter of invitation to membership by the President. The letter shall emphasize the honor that membership in the Society conveys and shall stress that members are expected to attend meetings as often as possible and be an active member of the Society. The nominee shall be asked to indicate by letter or email if he or she accepts membership. Failure to respond within a year shall be considered a declination of the invitation. A nominee who fails to respond or who declines the invitation to membership may, however, be re-nominated when future membership vacancies occur.